A sandbox kind of love
by 13thegirlwiththeglasses27
Summary: AU. No one knew what Belle and Ruby had. They weren't aware of it themselves. Except for one - the one who realised that it was a sandbox kind of love; the kind of love that never dies.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

k: there's a reference to Jennifer's Body, if anyone noticed. Also, I don't use Beta so all the grammatical mistakes are mine. Hopefully it's worth reading.

No one noticed it. People knew they were friends and they thought none of it. It was their kind of friendship. Eating meals together and endlessly talking of various things about their day or work or other happenings. It was a gentle and precious relationship between women who were drawn together.

Yet what the world didn't know, what the people didn't see, what Ruby didn't expect, her heart felt. It beat at little faster at seeing Belle approach their little booth. How her chest swelled with simple joy in hearing of Belle's 'adventures' - a small childish way of explaining what the librarian had been up to. How she adored the light in the woman's beautiful eyes. How Belle's smiles and laughs were as contagious as the common cold. How spending breakfast, lunch and dinner together kept Ruby in high spirits. _A sandbox kind of love. _

These were the moments Ruby was sure her heart would fall. How she was certain that if she willed herself to truly feel, it would be as true and real as anything she ever knew. Yet, the feelings lived and died as fast as a passing second. Ruby knew better than to truly fall for someone, especially Belle. Because Belle didn't belong to her, Belle's heart live and beat for someone else, someone she knew had no chance of winning against; Mr. Gold or as commonly known as Rumpelstiltskin.

And so, Ruby smiled and laughed and remained as close as she could to Belle within the acceptable lines of friendships. Because that what was the world had seen. What people had known. They were friends.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Belle said sweetly as she stood up and scooted towards of the edge of the booth, ready to stand up and leave.

For a second, Ruby felt her heart sunk. Her smile faltered. A flash of sadness appeared but quickly disappeared. Once more, her smile remained as bright and wide. The sadness buried underneath the surface.

"Sure. Tomorrow." Ruby replied, as she remained seated.

"Bye." Belle said and Ruby nodded as she watched the librarian walk away, not knowing how the simple notion of it was crushing Ruby's most kept desire and fantasy.

Yes, they were friends. Very good friends. Sighing, Ruby picked up the used dishes and utensils and moved from her seat and cleaned the table up. Clean and empty and good as new. As if the mess of their meals together didn't mean anything. Didn't suggest anything beyond the grips of friendships. Simply a mess that require cleaning up.

In times of where Ruby's Wolf emerged, the nights were as empty and beautiful and melancholic. Each howl was a cry. Each time she would run, it was in false hope to run from the feelings, from the moments. And each time, she'd look for something to hunt or to fight, to elude herself the luxury of feeling. To plainly ask to feel something else. The days were a lot shorter. Ruby's patience wore thin and the world seemed quite bothersome and irksome and troublesome. Though, the people would think of it as her heightened senses from her Wolf's time, she knew the reason was much deeper. Belle, as wonderful and understanding friend, pardoned the changes and moodiness occurring. She excused the sudden lack of interest from her friend about her day or her work. How distracted and uncomfortable and weary Ruby seemed.

"Are you alright?" Belle asked, stopping herself from continuing further sharing of her day activities.

"I'm fine." Ruby replied with a modest smile.

"How were your nights? Been up to anything interesting lately?" Belle asked.

Belle stirred the conversation towards Ruby, asking of her 'night activities' among other things but she was replied with vague and short answers.

"It's okay. Nothing interesting." Ruby replied as she prodded her meat with her fork.

Belle smiled warmly and felt the silence fall on them as if they were snow. They've finished their meals and Belle was about to bid her goodbye when Ruby's response surprised her.

"Alright, I best get going. I'll see you tomorrow?'

"No."

"No?" Belle, curious and slightly shocked, stood by the table.

"I've got a couple of things to do so I might not be here tomorrow."

"Oh…" Belle paused as her smile faltered an inch before resuming the smile, "I'll see you sometime soon, then."

"Yeah. See you when I see you." Ruby smiled as she nodded.

"Bye." Belle said before turning her heels and walking away and out of the diner, feeling a slight damper in her usual high spirits.

Ruby's words rang true. Belle would hardly catch the sight of the woman and when she did, it was a little uneasy. It got her curious and also worried at how things had suddenly changed for them. How their friendship shifted back to acquaintanceship. Despite understanding the circumstances, her life hadn't felt the same. As it wasn't whole. As if it was missing a piece - a piece that was Ruby.

They used to be friends. That was what people say when they saw Ruby on the counter, working and serving others and Belle sitting in a booth across Mr. Gold, eating their meals together. The women would briefly exchange pleasantries before going back to their own business, to their own lives. Their past friendship was a ghost that had been forgotten by the living long ago. No one thought much of their falling out. That was what happened, they thought. Life got tricky. People fall out from one another. They move on. That was what they knew of Belle and Ruby.

Yet, when one looked closely and really wondered what had happened, the answer was laid in the darkness of the night and an involvement of one Mr. Gold. Belle hadn't spoke much of what occurred between Ruby and her and Mr. Gold didn't care to ask. Though, if only she noticed the new addition of a small velvet vial in his shelf amongst the other similarly colourful vials, she might truly understand what really happened; of what was taken from Ruby and what was now missing in Belle. A small vial that contained a liquid with the colour of a red rose. And if one dared to ask Mr. Gold of what the liquid held, he'd dismiss the issue and spun a tale of lies or use his power to erase the mere thought of it. Why? Because the answer was sealed inside that vial. _A sandbox love never dies._


End file.
